Platt: Charging towns, cities and provinces for military aid could be a disaster

Soldiers based out of Shilo build up dikes around Souris in anticipation of a crest to come early next week. An additional 175 soldiers joined the 200 already in Souris. (Photo courtesy Government of Manitoba)

They were hailed as heroes then, the 400 Canadian soldiers who marched to the overflowing banks of a Manitoba river to help save the town of Souris from ruin.

That was nearly two years ago, in the spring of 2011.

If the same disastrous flooding were to strike the town this spring, those same sandbagging heroes might instead be called mercenaries -- that's if the town of 1,800 could afford to call the army in at all.

"I'm sure it would have been beyond what a small town could afford, or ever be capable of handling," said Darryl Jackson, mayor of Souris, Man.

"That would have been huge, if we would have had to pay -- I think we would have said no, we'll ride this out alone."

While bullets and tanks for overseas wars are still covered by the taxpayer, the Department of National Defence has confirmed that it intends to start charging for disaster relief operations within Canada.

"DND has always had the authority to recoup costs related to support to other government departments. In every case of a request for assistance, DND has always noted to other government departments that it has the authority to cost recover such costs," the department explained in a written statement to QMI Agency.

"Given present fiscal restraints, DND has decided to exercise its authority to recoup costs related to support to other government departments when it deems it necessary."

That means towns, cities and provinces could end up on the hook when military assistance is required, as it was in 2011 when Souris looked likely to be washed off the Manitoba map.

"They did a great job, helping out and doing the dangerous stuff you couldn't expect a volunteer to do -- they really knew what they were doing," said Jackson.

Military officials are blaming an ever-tighter budget for the shift to mercenary-style disaster relief, after years of not passing on the cost of helping with emergencies.

Over the past two years, that's added up to nearly $9 million, including flood relief in Quebec and Manitoba, and forest-fire assistance in Northern Ontario and Saskatchewan.

With the federal government slashing budgets -- including a $1.1 billion defence cut for 2014-15 -- it's not unexpected that departments will be pinching pennies.

But turning national heroes into soldiers-for-hire is bound to leave a sour taste in the mouth of many Canadians, who see our military as a force meant to protect Canadians in both war and peace.

Is the threat to charge for help posturing in the face of budget cuts? That remains to be seen.

This might be a sly way of getting provinces and municipalities to demand disaster cash from a different federal department once the DND bill arrives -- meaning Ottawa still pays, just not via the army budget.

But the fear of being saddled with a huge expense might mean small towns like Souris won't risk asking for help in the first place -- and that's the concern of experts like Dr. Timothy Haney.

As one of Canada's only disaster sociologists, the Mount Royal University professor says a policy switch to disaster relief for hire could prove a disaster in itself.

"The people who are most likely to be impacted by disaster are those who can least afford it to begin with -- so if communities have to pay for relief and response, it'll be those that have the fewest resources," said Haney.

"I think it will become a question for those communities of 'do we involve the military at all?' -- and that's the question that has me concerned."

Haney says a similar approach in the United States has led to a private industry of disaster relief.

"You have companies that will provide you insurance, so if you have a hurricane approaching, they'll give you five-star, luxurious evacuation, but for a very high price tag," said Haney.

"So is Canada moving in the direction where the federal government is stepping out of the role of providing help in disasters, leaving it to provinces and towns, and ultimately, will that get privatized?

Platt: Charging towns, cities and provinces for military aid could be a disaster

They were hailed as heroes then, the 400 Canadian soldiers who marched to the overflowing banks of a Manitoba river to help save the town of Souris from ruin.

That was nearly two years ago, in the spring of 2011.

If the same disastrous flooding were to strike the town this spring, those same sandbagging heroes might instead be called mercenaries -- that's if the town of 1,800 could afford to call the army in at all.

A mom who would brave the darkest
corners of the seediest streets, and a
dad who spent two decades fighting the
red tape of indifferent bureaucracy to
find a safe path for his wayward,
troubled daughter.